Serenade
by MahinaFable
Summary: After Haven, Weiss and Jaune connect through music. Chapter III: Separation and Reunion.
1. Chapter 1: Edelweiss for an Idle Weiss

Serenade

Author's Note: I own all of exactly nothing, okay?

Weiss was restless, and in more than one way.

Four days had passed since the so-called "Battle of Haven," and the aspiring huntress hadn't slept at all. She had failed to defend herself, first being thrashed by a single opponent in a duel, and then suffering impalement at the hands of an enemy she foolishly had her back to. By all rights, that should have spelled the end of Weiss Schnee, but somehow, impossibly, Jaune Arc, of all people, had miraculously unlocked the perfect Semblance at the perfect time to save her. That… that dunce, that dolt, that doofus, that dork, the lovesick puppy of a boy that had followed her around Beacon and made an absolute fool of himself, had come out of nowhere and straight-up saved her life.

Weiss didn't know how to feel about that.

What she _did_ know was that whatever new lease on life that the gods had granted her meant that she had to make the most of it, and she had thrown herself into her group's quest to safeguard the Relics, with everything she had. Weiss had organized the team's transport to Atlas, scheduling train trips, putting together itineraries, and leveraging the Schnee name for everything it was worth obtain provisions, Dust, ammunition, and transport. When she wasn't preparing for the journey, she was training herself, drilling her sword forms into perfection and beyond, vowing that she would never again come up short in a duel.

"Weiss… Weiss?"

She had… she had… wait, was someone calling her name?

"Remnant to Weiss, come in Ice Queen."

Weiss looked up, bleary vision eventually focusing in on her teammate Yang, who was sitting across from her at the dinner table in the Mistrali house that the team had called home for the last few weeks. The blonde huntress narrowed lilac eyes at Weiss, taking in the dark circles under the former heiress's bloodshot eyes, her unusually unkempt hair, and the general haggard appearance of her fellow huntress. A quick glance showed Weiss that her other two teammates, Ruby and Blake, were regarding her with similar concern.

"Wow, you look awful. Are you feeling okay?" asked Yang.

Somewhere in poor Weiss's sleep-deprived mind, she knew that she needed the perfect retort to both allay her teammate's worries and simultaneously put her in her place.

"Well, your boobs are big and dumb," she slurred. Slightly.

Perfect.

The other girls glanced at each other, before Ruby finally spoke. "Weiss, when was the last time you got some sleep?"

"Before the fight."

"The fight? You mean the one at Haven?"

"Yes."

"Why aren't you sleeping?!" Yang burst, unable to hold her frustration.

"Because I'm not dead," Weiss explained, speaking slowly, as if to a small child. "I'm not dead when I should be dead, and that means that I need to do all the things to make it worth the effort."

"Weiss, that doesn't make any sense," said Blake, frowning at her.

"Oh, I see what she's doing," Yang said with a small sigh. "She's pulling a Blake."

"Hey, I'm still here!" objected Weiss.

"No, well, I mean, pulling _another_ Blake move," corrected Yang, ignoring the frustrated huff from her partner. Really, it was the girl's own fault for being so much trouble. "Remember before the dance, when she ran herself ragged for no good reason? Yeah, looks like we're dealing with that again."

The other girls nodded in agreement, no doubt forming some kind of diabolical anti-Weiss conspiracy. Traitors, all of them. Weiss was about to say so when Ruby quietly asked, "Weiss, what did you mean when you said the effort had to be worth it?"

The white-haired huntress sighed. "Ruby, I should have died, but I didn't. Whatever I do from here has to be important. It has to justify bringing me back."

"That doesn't make any sense! _You're_ not making any sense! You just being here, alive and with us, is all the reason we need! And I'm sure Jaune would say the same!"

"Damn right I would," a male voice carried from the kitchen. A second later, Jaune entered the dining room, a bowl of noodles in his hands. Frowning at Weiss, he put his food down on the table and peered at her face. Weiss felt blood rush to her cheeks at the blatant inspection, before Jaune turned to her teammates with an obvious question in his expression. Since unlocking his Semblance, the blonde knight had taken to studying first aid and field medicine, partially in an effort to see if he could use that knowledge to focus and direct the aura boost that his power could grant to heal wounds, and partially so that, in case one of his friends went down again, he could have a bit more knowledge at hand than Ren's sage words of "This is bad." He had surprised everyone, including himself, by demonstrating a true talent for healing, and so had become the team's de facto medic.

In response to his silent questioning, Yang opted to explain. "She hasn't been sleeping because she thinks she needs to make every second alive count. Probably trauma from her injury at Haven."

Jaune nodded. "Okay, so let's try and make her comfortable, emotionally as well as physically." He looked back to Weiss, a warm smile on his face. "Weiss, let's get you to bed, okay?"

Weiss pouted.

"Do it for the team? We all love you, Weiss, and we want you to be healthy." That warm, simple and sincere smile never left his face, and Weiss soon found herself meeting it with a soft, demure smile of her own. "Okay," she whispered. "Also, you have really pretty eyes."

"Thank you Weiss," Jaune said, in a neutral tone. To the others, he said "Don't read into that, okay? The way she is now, it's like she's high or drunk. She'll be back normal in no time."

Yang took Weiss by the hand and guided her to her bedroom while Jaune conferred with his fellow team leader. "She's in a delicate state right now. You and your teammates should try and make her feel secure and comfortable. I'll go get Ren, since his Semblance can help if she can't calm down, and I'll meet with you in her room."

"Okay," Ruby agreed. "Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Ah, no need to thank me," Jaune gave a small chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. "We look after each other, you know? That's the only way we'll make it through this; as a team."

"As a team," echoed Ruby before she entered Weiss's room.

"Okay," Jaune said to himself. "I think we've got this."

A few moments later, Jaune, with Ren and Nora in tow and a small black case at his side, knocked on Weiss's door. Ruby answered in her pajamas, and ushered them inside, sparing a second to smile at the case in Jaune's hand. The room was dimly lit by a single lamp, and then by flickering candlelight as Blake began to light scented candles. Weiss herself sat up in her bed, clad in a light-blue nightgown, and allowing Yang to smoothly comb through her long white hair. The Schnee girl's ice-blue eyes narrowed at the case that Jaune had carried.

"I thank you for your concern, but sedation is hardly necessary."

Jaune smiled indulgently at her. "Oh, this isn't a medicine kit. It's something that team RNJR picked up as a reward on the road to Mistral." He unlatched the case and pulled out some strange wooden box. "See, we rescued this troupe of musicians from bandits, and they refused to let us go without giving us something. I mentioned I played guitar, and they gave me this." With a click of a button, the box mecha-shifted into a full-sized guitar.

Weiss's eyes went wide at the sight and she turned to Ruby. "I'm sorry I made you all worry! I'll be a good girl and go to sleep, just please don't torture me!"

Jaune chuckled at that as he checked to make sure the guitar was still in tune. "It'll be okay," he said, his warm tone of voice putting Weiss somewhat at ease.

"Will it though? Will it really?"

With practiced fingers, Jaune began to softly strum a simple chord, repeating it several times. Weiss felt herself begin to relax as the music and soothing scents began to affect her. Yang stopped brushing Weiss's hair, and began to slowly rock her in her arms, the way that she used to rock her little sister when she had a nightmare.

After repeating the chord, Jaune began to sing in a soft, low voice.

 _Edelweiss, Edelweiss_

 _You look happy to greet us_

 _Small and white_

 _Pure and bright_

 _You look happy to meet us._

Somehow, Weiss found herself lying on her side. She didn't remember laying down. When had that happened? Yang had her in a tight hug, so warm and strong. Blake held her hand, and Ruby stood at the head of her bed, stroking her hair. Meanwhile, Ren and an unusually subdued Nora sat at the foot of the bed, and Jaune stood with his guitar, continuing his little song.

Where had he learned about Atlesian flowers, anyway?

 _Blossom of snow,_

 _may you bloom and grow._

 _Bloom and grow forever._

 _Edelweiss, Edelweiss_

 _Bless our family forever._

Jaune repeated his little lullaby, with Ruby's clear, high voice joining in. Soon, her sister joined in, and Ren, then Nora, and even Blake. Weiss couldn't remember the last time she had felt so loved, with almost all of her favorite people, and Jaune, coming together to make her feel safe and warm and loved and-

Weiss was out like a light, with a positively beatific smile on her face. Yang was right there with her, beginning her trademark snoring. Ren and Nora sat together against a wall opposite of him, the orange-haired girl resting her head on her partner's shoulder. In fact, as he looked around, Jaune realized that he was the only one still awake, with all of his friends having formed an impromptu slumber party in Weiss's bedroom. He could have made to leave, to go back out, eat those forgotten noodles and get in his nightly training with Pyrrha… or… or he could stay here, with his team, his friends, his family, and be there with them when Weiss woke up.

With a wry grin, Jaune put the guitar away as quietly as he could and made to sleep against a wall for the night. He had to say, this performance went over much better than his first. In retrospect, it was probably because, during his first attempt, he had been trying to get Weiss to notice _him,_ to think well of _him,_ to do what _he_ wanted and feel the way _he_ wanted her to feel. He could admit that he had been selfish. Perhaps not to a terrible degree, but facts were facts. But here, now, tonight, all he was concerned with was how Weiss was feeling, what she needed to heal, and what he could do to help her.

Maybe that was the difference between being a boy and being a man.

It wouldn't make up for all of his mistakes, he knew that. With Weiss, with Pyrrha, with the fight against Cinder… but it was a start. So, Jaune allowed himself to feel just a little bit of pride in his actions that night. With that, he resolved to get the first full night's sleep he had had in months, and let himself relax.

Jaune woke up against the wall in Weiss's bedroom, with a crick in his back and a rueful grin on his face. Looking around, he saw that everyone else had awoken already and left, even his erstwhile patient.

So much for being a familiar face when she woke.

The young knight proceeded to the first part of the glorious routine of a huntsman-in-training; hauling his sorry carcass off the floor and into the nearest restroom. When he emerged, freshly showered and shaved, Jaune was surprised to see Weiss waiting for him in the hallway. A single night's sleep wasn't enough to fully repair the effects of four days worth of sleep deprivation, but it was a good start, and she was clearly in a much better place mentally. The girl glanced down at the floor before meeting his eyes.

"Jaune, I just wanted to thank you. Not just for last night, but… for Haven, too."

"It's all part of the-" Jaune was cut off as Weiss suddenly reached up to grab his face and pulled him into a kiss. When she broke off, she giggled to see him struck completely speechless.

"I have decided," she said, in a mock-exacting tone of voice, "that you are either not as much of a dunce as I once believed you to be, or, failing that, that you have taken steps to curtail your most dunce-like behavior."

Jaune found his voice. "I'm pretty sure it's the second one," he said blandly.

"Or perhaps my experience with would-be Atlesian suitors has made me realize that there are far worse men out there than a dunce knight," Weiss continued as though he hadn't spoken at all. "In any event, I just wanted to say that I find your newfound restraint, demeanor, and competence to be appealing. Do keep it up, would you?"

With that, Weiss released him to fall back against the wall. "Oh, and I meant what I said about your eyes." She then turned crisply with an about-face and strode into the main living room as though nothing had happened.

"Huh. Go figure." Shrugging, Jaune followed her.


	2. Chapter 2: Operation Sugar Cookie

**Author's Note: I still don't own anything. Well, I've got a laptop and a nice blouse, but that's about it. Characters, settings, songs, all belong to other people. Don't sue me, please.**

Today had not been a good day.

The motley collection of teenagers, an immortal wizard's soul, and one dusty old crow had been preparing to make their way into Atlas. Before they could leave, however, there was one bit of personal business that Jaune, Ren, and Nora needed to address in the city of Mistral.

Team RWBY had come back together, against all odds and expectations. But Team JNPR never could, not after that awful night in Vale. Pyrrha Nikos was gone, and no Semblance could bring her back. The fallen girl's broken weapon and shield, forged of famed Mistrali Bronze, had been melted down to reinforce her partner's arms and armor. Weiss, and everyone else on their strange team, had agreed that Pyrrha would have wanted something of herself to go with Jaune, to keep him safer and help him excel in his dreams.

All that was left of the girl had been her trademark circlet, which the surviving members of Team Juniper had delivered to her parents, along with definitive news of her death. When Jaune and his teammates had returned to their rented place in Mistral, all of them, even the normally stoic Lie Ren, had appeared weary and emotionally-spent. The seven surviving members of Teams RWBY and JNPR had gathered together around the dining room table to reminisce about their fallen comrade in an impromptu wake.

"...and then the look on her face when she saw Jaune in a dress!" Weiss stirred herself from her thoughts to see the bubbly Nora Valkyrie pulling Jaune and Ren into a big hug as she recalled her Fearless Leader's crowning achievement.

"I've never seen her laugh so hard… or look so happy," Ren added, entirely unfazed by his longtime friend's bone-crushing cuddles.

"Yeah, that was a smooth move, Ladykiller," said Yang, before a predatory grin spread across her face. "So, do you _normally_ dress in women's clothing, or is it just when you want to impress the ladies?" Yang threw an entirely unsubtle wink towards Weiss, who rolled her eyes with the practiced ease of an absolute master.

Jaune, bless him, remained as oblivious as ever. "Well, you know, I said that if she went to the dance alone, I'd go in a dress, and an Arc never goes back on their word." What could have been just a trite sentiment, Weiss knew that Jaune turned into a promise as reliable as the ground under her feet. When the blonde knight said that he was going to do something, he would do everything in his power to carry it out.

That sort of honest reliability was something that Weiss could stand to have more of in her life.

Next to her, Yang did her level best to suppress a snort of amusement. If someone had told Weiss six months ago that she would be gazing softly at Jaune Arc like a schoolgirl with a crush, Weiss would have stabbed them, frozen them solid, and punted them through an upper-story window for good measure. And yet, here she was, eyes lidded and a soft smile on her face as she regarded the young man. It wasn't just Jaune that had Weiss acting differently either. From the moment that the ex-heiress had thrown herself into an embrace at her moth-at _Raven's-_ bandit camp, Yang had been watching her friend and teammate's newfound openness, and even desire, for open affection with their group of friends. Even Nora had noticed the change, claiming that something had "melted her heart," in the interim.

After the brawl at Haven Academy, and the close call at Cinder's hands, those changes that Yang had noticed had kicked into overdrive. Weiss no longer put up even a token effort to escape Ruby's physical affection, with all of the hugs, cuddles, and friendly shakes of her shoulders. She had served as a mediator between Yang and her estranged partner Blake, keeping them civil while pushing them to be honest with their feelings and the consequences that they had inflicted on their partnership. Her insults, when they came at all, lacked the cutting sharpness that they once bore, and she now said them in a fond, even indulgent tone.

If she were to be completely honest with herself, Yang would have to admit that she much preferred this new, more emotionally-open Weiss, or "Nice Weiss," as her sister had dubbed her. After beginning to address the fevered and self-destructive pace that the Schnee girl had put herself to in the wake of Haven, Weiss had approached her situation with a profound zeal and joy in being alive, with her friends, and carrying out important work.

And Weiss wasn't the only one who had changed. Vomit Boy… Jaune, had pulled himself together in the wake of a devastating loss, and led his team to accompany her baby sister all the way across Anima. Outside of the academy system and out in the rigors of the real world, Jaune had thrived, fighting alongside his team against bandits and Grimm alike. That he had done so when she, herself, was physically and emotionally unable to keep Ruby safe was a feat that Yang had every intention to repay. So, when Ruby had confided in her that Jaune had been emotionally torturing himself under the pretext of secret, midnight training, and Yang saw how Weiss had begun to see Jaune in an entirely new light, she saw an opportunity.

Besides, Jaune wasn't half as sneaky as he thought he was, and once they learned that Yang and Ruby both knew about his self-imposed nocturnal punishment, Ren and Nora had enthusiastically signed on to what Nora and Ruby gleefully dubbed "Operation Sugar Cookie," the mission to help Jaune with his grief. No one else had any real idea of how to help Jaune, so maybe Weiss could reach him. Jaune had always carried a torch for her back at Beacon, and now it looked as though Weiss had lit one of her own, finally seeing what Pyrrha had seen in their resident dork knight from the very beginning.

Yang shared a glance with her partner and sister, then stood up and stretched. "Well, it's been real, guys, but I'm gonna hit the sack. We've still got a lot to do before we go." Various sounds of assent and agreement rose to meet her, and Teams RWBY and JNR both began to leave the dining room, shuffling towards the various bathrooms in the house. Yang nodded to Ruby, who in turn, followed Weiss upstairs.

Operation Sugar Cookie was go.

Weiss, comfortable in her nightgown, sat in her bed, combing through her long white hair, and idly humming the melody to Jaune's Atlesian lullaby, when she heard a knock at her door. "Come in," she called, smiling as her partner entered the room. "Hi, Ruby. What's going on?"

The younger girl played nervously with the red-tipped ends of her hair. "Hey, Weiss. There's a problem that we all think you're best to deal with. It's… it's about Jaune."

A half-hour later, Weiss saw Jaune, in his distinctive white and bronze armor, make his way into the training yard. She carefully hid herself behind a corner, peering out at the young man as he drew Crocea Mors from its scabbard, which then expanded into the familiar shield of his lineage. As she watched him take a stance, she heard, for the first time since the Fall of Beacon, the voice of Pyrrha Nikos.

It didn't seem so bad, at first. She was walking him through drills designed to train the act of enhancing strikes with Aura into a feat as natural as breathing. Weiss felt an appreciation for Jaune's raw power, as his carefully-placed cuts sent gusts of wind out in their wake. Judging from how fluidly he shifted from strike to strike, Jaune had clearly done this hundreds of times.

What, exactly, was the problem here?

As Jaune slowed to a stop, the ghost of Pyrrha Nikos on his scroll continued to speak. Weiss's eyes widened in horror as the voice spoke of how proud she was of his determination to progress.

 _I… I… I want you to know_ _that I'm just happy to be a part of your life, Jaune. I'll always be there for you._

Weiss's heart broke for the knight.

How could everyone have thought that she was the best person to help?! She was the worst person on Remnant! Ever since she had reunited with everyone, and especially since Jaune had saved her life, she had been giddy, practically euphoric, greedily basking in the love and affection of her friends. Weiss had been enamored of this new life and these sensations, reveling in the feeling of falling for Jaune, of having a true romantic interest in such a kind, reliable, warm, wonderful man, so unlike the insincere and cold-blooded people she had known in Atlas.

All the while, he had been heartbroken. Jaune had done everything in his power, and beyond, to take care of the people he loved, and the whole time, he had been suffering alone.

She hadn't given one thought to how he must have felt when she had… when she had…

Weiss felt desolate, like a pit had opened in her heart.

She had practically _thrown herself_ at a grieving man!

As she mentally berated herself for her selfishness, Jaune took up his stance once more. The video rewound, and it happened again. The second time Pyrrha's words drifted across the courtyard, Weiss's hand flew to her mouth in horror as the full implications of Jaune's training sank in.

The third time, tears flowed freely down her face, running from eyes that she couldn't bring herself to pry from the scene before her.

Finally, mercifully, Jaune sheathed his sword and pocketed his scroll. Weiss watched, full of guilt and self-loathing, as he leaned against a courtyard railing. He looked up at the plethora of stars spilling across the night sky, apparently trying to find one in particular. Whatever Weiss might have expected him to do next, it certainly wasn't to begin singing to the stars, his voice heavy with emotion.

 _I never felt_

 _That it was wise_

 _To wish too much._

 _To dream too big_

 _Would only lead_

 _To being crushed._

 _Then I met you,_

 _You weren't afraid_

 _Of anything._

 _I never thought a hero_

 _Would ever come my way_

 _But more than that,_

 _I never thought_

 _That you'd be taken away._

 _Now it's cold_

 _Without_

 _You here._

 _It's like winter_

 _Lasts_

 _All year._

 _But your star's_

 _Still in_

 _The sky._

 _So I won't_

 _Say goodbye,_

 _I don't have to say_

 _Goodbye…_

 _My days of doubt,_

 _Were in the past,_

 _With you around._

 _You helped me feel_

 _I had a place,_

 _Direction found._

 _You showed me that_

 _A greater dream_

 _Could be achieved._

 _Enough resolve_

 _Will conquer all,_

 _If we believe._

 _The light you gave_

 _To guide me_

 _Will never fade away,_

 _But moving forward_

 _Never felt as hard as today._

 _Now it's cold_

 _Without_

 _You here._

 _It's like winter_

 _Lasts_

 _All year._

 _But your star's_

 _Still in_

 _The sky._

 _So I won't_

 _Say goodbye,_

 _I don't have to say_

 _Good-_

Jaune cut off as a sob wracked his body. Another followed, and then a third. Crocea Mors clanked against the stone as he sank to his knees, his hands on his face, clutching as if he could stop the tears through sheer force of will. Weiss had seen enough. Whatever failings she had had in the past were now irrelevant; Jaune needed someone _now_ , and Weiss would be damned to the worst sort of abyss before she let poor Jaune suffer one more moment on his own. She strode towards the weeping man, and knelt behind him. He was so engulfed in his grief that he didn't register her presence until her arms wrapped around him.

He turned around to see ice-blue eyes, red from crying and with tear tracks running down her face. She pulled him into a tight hug, the two clutching onto one another as if they could be torn away at any moment. Jaune wailed Weiss's name into her shoulder, completely beyond any sort of reservation or embarrassment.

Weiss would be the first to admit that she wasn't the best at this sort of thing. Her time spent reunited with her friends had forced her to realize just how cold and loveless much of her life had been, and that had impacted her personality. As her mind desperately raced to find a solution to this problem, she realized that she and Jaune both communicated their emotions through music. She did her best to emulate the gentle rocking that Yang had given to her, and recalled an old song about finding hope in the dark times.

 _Shadows fall.  
And hope has fled.  
Steel your heart.  
The dawn will come._

 _The night is long.  
And the path is dark.  
Look to the sky.  
For one day soon.  
The dawn will come._

Weiss Schnee had been a world-famous singer, but never before had she put so much into her singing as she did this night. Her voice rang out clear and strong through the night, a one time-only command performance for an audience of one; her sole musical accompaniment, the gasping sobs of a grieving teenager.

 _The shepherd's lost.  
And his home is far.  
Keep to the stars.  
The dawn will come._

 _The night is long.  
And the path is dark.  
Look to the sky.  
For one day soon.  
The dawn will come._

 _Bare your blade.  
And raise it high.  
Stand your ground.  
The dawn will come._

 _The night is long.  
And the path is dark.  
Look to the sky.  
For one day soon.  
The dawn will come._

As the last words of her song echoed around the night, Jaune pulled back and looked to her, his crying ended. Weiss gently placed a small, soft hand on his cheek, carefully thumbing away the tear running down his face. "You're not alone, Jaune Arc," she said. "I believe in you."

From above them, standing on the roof, a small figure with a red hood smiled in satisfaction as Weiss helped Jaune to his feet and began to lead him back inside. Both of her friends needed something from the other; bringing them together would help them both. With that, Ruby Rose made her way to her bedroom window, popping it open and slipping inside.

So far, Operation Sugar Cookie appeared to be working.

Inside the house, Weiss led Jaune upstairs by the hand, stopping in front of her door. She took a deep breath, and turned to face her companion.

"Jaune, I-"

"Weiss, I-"

Of course they would both start to speak at the exact same time. After a short pause, Jaune motioned for her to go first. Weiss glanced at the floor before meeting his eyes. "Jaune, I don't want to be alone tonight," she burst out. She felt her face flush as she nodded for him to speak.

Jaune sighed. "Weiss, I don't want to take advantage of you."

She felt her jaw drop. "Take advantage of me? How can you take advantage of me when I've been taking advantage of you?!"

Now it was Jaune's turn to go slack. "In what possible way have you been taking advantage of me?!"

"Because ever since… since Haven, I've been _feeling_ things. I've been feeling more strongly than I ever have before, about everyone really, but you more than anyone else. It… it made me so happy, Jaune. But I wasn't thinking about how you were feeling, about how Pyrrha's loss was affecting you. It was like these feelings were a drug, and I was just using you for a fix. It wasn't right," Weiss finished. She paused for a moment at the sight of the huge, goofy grin on Jaune's face.

"I make you happy?" He asked her.

Weiss nodded.

"Well," he began, the smile fading, to be replaced with a serious, earnest expression. "First of all, it isn't selfish to enjoy feeling happy, Weiss. Taking joy in someone else… well, that makes it all worthwhile, I guess."

Jaune sighed. "I miss Pyrrha, it's true. And I loved her… I still do."

Weiss felt her heart catch in her chest.

"But," continued Jaune. "I wasn't _in_ love with her. How could I have been? I never had the time to fall in love with her. I swear to every god that ever was, the first time it ever occurred to me that she felt that way about me was when she kissed me at the tower. Maybe if things had been different, if she hadn't gone to fight that _bitch_ Cinder on her own, there would have been time and space for those feelings to come to me. I guess… with how she taught me, and inspired me, and protected me, somehow I subconsciously placed her in the same category as one of my older sisters. I don't know if things could have changed, because Cinder took that chance away from me… away from us. Besides," he said with a wry grin, "you shouldn't feel bad about not realizing my emotional state. I _was_ being quiet about it."

Here, Weiss graced him with one of her legendary eyerolls, with all the sass in Remnant expressed therein. "Jaune, everyone knew about the video."

Jaune deflated. "Everyone?"

"Yes, Jaune, everyone!" In her frustration, Weiss's arms flailed through the air in a credible Ruby impression. " _Nora_ knew about it, and that girl has literally slept through explosions!"

"Well… you still shouldn't feel so bad about it. I want you to feel happy about feeling happy."

Weiss realized something, something that caused her insides to flutter, and a strange warmth to spread through her.

"You're in love with me."

It wasn't a question.

Jaune paused, and nodded.

"Why?"

Jaune took a moment before answering. "When I see you… sometimes, I can't believe that you're real, here, now, and with us. You aren't just beautiful, but you're _ethereal_ , like if a moonshard fell to Remnant, took human form, and then called me a dolt."

They both smiled at that, with Weiss giving a little snort of amusement.

"Even at your… well, at your fussiest, or your prissiest, you never failed to make me smile. Remember when Qrow picked a fight with your sister, and you just clicked up to him in those heels of yours and demanded that he acknowledge you?" Weiss smiled ruefully at the memory. "You just up and got in the face of an unknown, older assailant to make sure he gave you your due," Jaune chuckled. "That's just such a… a _Weiss-y_ thing to do. And you never coddled me or put up with my idiot behavior back at Beacon. You didn't cave out of pity, or go out with me once to shut me up, you expected anyone who approached you to be nothing short of their absolute best self."

Jaune took a step closer to Weiss, and gently lifted her chin with his hand. Gods, he was so tall, his eyes so blue and expressive.

"Since you've been back with us, you've been all that and so much more. You've been so much more open, with your teammates, and all your other friends. And at Haven… the moment your eyes opened again and you took that first, deep breath… that was the happiest moment of my life."

Weiss's eyes glimmered.

"But," Jaune continued, "I didn't want to impose. It's possible that the… euphoria you've been feeling will fade, and your feelings for me will fade with it. That's why I said I didn't want to take advantage. I certainly don't want you to feel somehow obligated to me after what happened at Haven."

"I'm not crazy," Weiss interjected.

"I didn't say you were," he agreed. "But we should be careful. You're recovering from trauma, and… well, I can tell you didn't have a home life of love and affection. Maybe once there's been time, we can try this. I just want you to be happy, Weiss. I should go."

As he tried to move past her, Weiss put a hand on his chest, stopping him cold.

"Uh-uh." She looked up at him, her mock-demanding expression in place. "You don't get to say those things and just walk off. We're in a war. I could have died last week. I could be dead _next_ week, or you could die, or we could otherwise be separated for months and months again. I am _not_ going to have any regrets about not making the most of what time we have."

She pulled him in close to her, relishing the way he felt in her arms. "Here's what's going to happen, _Sir Jaune,_ " she said with a downright predatory smirk. "You are going to accompany me to my bed, where we shall kiss, and cuddle, and generally do our level best to make each other feel all the warm and fuzzies. You are going to allow me to comfort you in your loss, and to take joy in your continued presence. And all of this is going to happen _tonight_ , if I have to tie you to my bed to do it!"

"Yeah!"

Together, their eyes widened in shock, and Weiss looked to her left to see Ren and Nora standing at the entrance to their room. Nora had a huge smile on her face, while Ren offered a little shrug in apology. To her right, Weiss saw, to her horror, Ruby, Blake, and Yang standing together in the far side of the hallway. Ruby gave an embarrassed little wave, while Yang did an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

Blake was recording the whole thing on her scroll, with her little Team RWBY pennant in her hand.

"Ahem."

To complete the absolute devastation, standing at the entryway to the hallway, an uncharacteristically uncomfortable Qrow caught their attention, with a curious Oscar/Ozpin a few feet behind him.

In retrospect, having this long, heartfelt dialogue in a common area was not the best idea.

"So… uh, I can see you kids are busy," Qrow looked like he would really rather be somewhere else. _Anywhere_ else, really. "But as the closest thing to a responsible adult here… well… y'know… look, you're gonna do what you're gonna do, just don't do anything with… _consequences,_ if you get my drift. This mission can't really afford to wait nine months."

Weiss's whole face turned "red like roses," and Jaune was right there with her. Her mouth opened, then closed, then opened again as a little strangled sound tried to emerge. Finally, she did the only thing she really could do in that situation. She closed her mouth with an audible _pop_ , then turned about-face, tore open her door, bodily shoved Jaune inside, then made a quick step in herself while slamming the door shut with her foot.

She tried to ignore the sounds of cheering that filled the hallway in their wake.

Operation Sugar Cookie was a resounding success.

Breakfast the next morning was… awkward, to say the least, as all the other teenagers grinned openly at the new couple. Let the record show that Weiss tried to keep it from being a big deal, she really did, even with the positively enormous smirk on Yang's face that just _refused to leave_ as Weiss detailed the minor alterations to the travel arrangements that she'd been forced to make.

"So, as you can see," the Schnee girl pressed on, "By switching the tickets to this rail line, we can shave six hours off of our transit time, _and_ avoid issues of Faunus segregation of passengers," she concluded with a nod of the head towards Blake. "Are there any questions?"

Weiss regretted asking as soon as the question left her mouth.

" _Tied to the bed, Weiss?!_ " Yang burst, being literally, physically unable to refrain from teasing her teammate for one moment longer.

"And there it is!" cried Weiss. "Why is this such a big deal? Couples form every day all across Remnant!"

"Yeah, but they usually don't skip straight to bondage on the first date," added Blake. Weiss narrowed her eyes at the quiet cat Faunus before turning her attention to the last member of the team, her young partner Ruby Rose.

"Well, do you have anything to add?"

"It was so cute!" Ruby's huge silver eyes were gleaming in joy. She held up her hands like puppets as she began to imitate Weiss and Jaune. "You were all like 'Oh Jaune, I love you, but I can't do anything about because I'm stupid,' and he was all 'I love you too, and here's all the reasons why, now let me just leave a girl hanging because I'm also stupid,' and then you said 'Screw that, let's do mushy things or else!"

Ruby began to press her hand puppets together in a crude imitation of kissing. "It was all 'mush-mush-mushy-mush-mush.' And that's what happened. "

The whole table stared at the young girl for a moment.

"On the plus side, at least you don't have to worry about her doing 'mushy stuff' anytime soon," Nora helpfully told Yang. The blonde fighter ignored Nora for the moment, turning her attention back to Weiss.

"So, how big was he?"

" _We didn't do that!"_ Weiss shrieked.

Yang actually looked a little disappointed. "Really? He didn't sweep you off your feet and carry you to bed? He didn't show his-"

"Yang. Xiao. Long." Weiss snapped. "I swear, if you say one more word in that vein, I will end you. And it won't be a swift and merciful death, oh no, it will be a lingering and excruciating demise. I will rain down such suffering upon you that… that…"

"Yeah, go on," said Yang, her tone clearly bored by the death threats.

"Why… why aren't you taking my wrath more seriously?"

"Give it up, Weiss," Nora said. "To the rest of the world, you might be the terrifying Ice Queen, but we all know that you're really just an adorable little snowflake who needs all the love and cuddles!"

"Cuddles!" Ruby pulled Weiss into a big hug, eventual bringing a little smile back to Weiss's face.

"So, did he call you his snowflake? His little Edelweiss? Or did he stick to the classic 'Snow Angel?'"

With that, the smile vanished, as Weiss turned the full power of her icy glare onto one Yang Xiao-Long. To her frustration, all that that glare got her was a little wink.

"You!" Weiss pointed across the table at her… well, at her boyfriend now.

"Me?" Said boyfriend was still a dork. No power in Remnant could change that.

"How come you aren't as embarrassed?"

His deep blue eyes met her pale ones. "Why should I be? The most amazing girl in Remnant says I make her happy."

With that, her outrage evaporated, the smile returning to life in full force across her face. The hand that she had been pointing at him now stretched across the table to take one of his. The feeling of his hand in hers brought back those wonderful, sweet feelings that she had come to adore.

Why _had_ she been embarrassed again?

 **Endnotes:**

 **If you're reading this, you almost certainly know that "Cold" is a song from the RWBY season 3 soundtrack. In fact, if you're reading this, you're probably nerd enough to recognize "The Dawn Will Come," from the Dragon Age Inquisition soundtrack. I make no apologies for the music selection. I might take requests, though, you never know.**

 **I may continue this story as an AU, since it will almost certainly divert pretty far from Season 6. I had a few ideas, such as the group pestering Jaune to play some songs "that aren't about wanting to suck face with Weiss,"** **Jaune and Weiss playing in the train station to raise a little spending lien, or what happens when Nice Weiss reunites with her big sister.**

 **I based Weiss's emotional shift in this story off of an experience that I had when I was about her age. No, I didn't get run through by a murderous sorceress while on a quest to save the world, but the end result was the same; I got hit by a drunk driver who ran a red light one night. By rights, I should have died, but (obviously) I didn't. The almost manic feeling of wanting to fit everything possible into the time I had left, the new intensity of the emotions that I felt… some might say that it's unreasonable for Weiss to react that way, but given how emotionally neglected and lonely the poor thing had been before Season 5, I could see it being even more intense for her.**

 **Add to that the fact that, while I was just in an accident, Weiss is essentially a teenage soldier in a shadow war. People are actively out to kill her and her friends,** _ **one of which has already died.**_ **Really, most groups with people harboring romantic feelings towards one another would probably try to bring them out and resolve them, one way or another, while they still have the chance.**

 **There's a lesson in that for everyone, you know. While you, Dear Reader, probably aren't locked in mortal combat with the literal embodiment of evil, that doesn't mean that you can't get hit by a friggin' bus tomorrow. Don't put things off for too long, you know?**

 **Love,**

 **Mahina**


	3. Chapter 3: Separation and Reunion

**Author's Note: And we're back. Sorry for the long delay between chapters; had family come to visit, and then I used a lot of my free time reading Coeur Al Aran's "White Sheep" fanfic, all ninety-something chapters of it so far. And have now started in on "Forged Destiny," which is even longer. I regret nothing!**

 **Oh, and there will be some… skimming of Volume 6 canon from this point out, and will probably diverge more heavily in the next chapter. Which is to say, I'mma make stuff up to concentrate on that sweet, sweet shippy goodness. Spoilers for Volume 6, and all that. So, there's that. Finally, I continue my proud streak of owning absolutely nothing at all.**

 **[/]**

Weiss concluded that, whatever she was feeling for her new boyfriend, it must be more than a mere passing infatuation. The former heiress derived this conclusion from the simple fact that, somehow, someway, using dark and evil magic surely derived from the most diabolical of sources, Jaune had managed to talk her into joining in with the ludicrous capering that he had had the gall to adjudge "a concert."

It hadn't helped that her own partner had conspired with him against her. Ruby had joined her ridiculous puppy dog gaze together with Jaune's to obliterate any trace of Weiss's resistance to participating in the farce. The three of them had set up in a pavilion just outside Mistral Central Station, and had played songs at the request of a small, but growing crowd of onlookers.

Forget whatever magical Grimm-slaying powers her silver eyes might have, Ruby Rose's true secret power was the overwhelming force of weaponized cuteness. And when Jaune had turned those huge, deep blue, expressive, _beautiful_ eyes at her in soulful dejection, Weiss had found herself up on the small stage before her brain had regained its capacity to form rational thought.

Damn it, those looks were gonna be a problem.

Weiss Schnee had drawn capacity crowds at some of the largest venues in the world. Everyone, from high school girls to captains of industry, had at least one of her singles downloaded to their scroll. The power of her voice had brought the elite of Atlesian society to rapturous, silenced awe at its numinous revelation of the higher mysteries.

And now she was singing backup for a goofy boy strumming a guitar on an impromptu stage, as the trio performed what could only be described as "ditties," to the delight of the crowd. The entire experience was utterly alien to the Atlesian huntress. Whereas, to her entire world perspective, audience members were to remain properly silent until such time as was proper to pay homage to her talent and skill, Jaune playfully interacted with the crowd, taking requests, cracking jokes, and sometimes goading them to sing along with him.

At one point, he had concluded a song by having Weiss and Ruby clap out a beat as he led the audience into singing the chorus, which, as Jaune had said, "they'd better have learned by now, or else he's gonna be real sad." The knight-turned-musician had interjected a quick statement between each line of the chorus that the audience sang.

 _Country roads,_

"Yeah!"

 _Take me home,_

"Sing it!"

 _To the place,_

"Everybody!"

 _Where I belong!_

"Whoo!"

 _Southern Sanus,_

"Louder!"

 _Mountain momma,_

"Almost there!"

 _Country roads,_

"Bring it on home!"

 _Take me home._

"All right!"

It wasn't just the unorthodox, completely informal nature of the concert that had taken Weiss aback, but aspects of Jaune that she had never seen before. He had taken his innate dorkiness, and utilized it into an "aw-shucks" persona that complimented his easy humor. Jaune was able to read the crowd and keep a high energy to the place.

Weiss was forced to admit that Jaune, when freed from his crippling self-doubts and emotional trauma, could actually be quite charismatic. Most people just couldn't help but like him, even just a bit. Even when some agitator had tried to whip up bigoted anti-faunus sentiment to cause trouble, Jaune had managed to defuse the situation by composing a new song on the spot, one that he'd tentatively titled "It's a Great Day For Me To Whoop Somebody's Ass." The song was an impromptu challenge to the heckler to put up or shut up. Said heckler had opted to shut up, to the derision of the crowd, and Jaune had taken the opportunity to move on.

Of all of the foreign experiences that Weiss was discovering for the first time, it was the idea of just straight-up asking for money that had stunned her the most. Having grown up as the heiress to the most powerful Dust company on the face of Remnant, Weiss had always had contracted arrangements with concert organizers, with most of the revenue going towards whatever cause her father had felt would reflect best upon the SDC. Here, she and Ruby had gone in front of the stage with a small bucket, collecting what pocket lien people felt inclined to give. The whole time that was going on, Jaune had turned it into another comedic moment, playing a song of musical extortion to the crowd, singing and playing in an exaggeratedly-poor manner.

 _Give us some money,_

 _And I swear we'll go away._

 _Fork over some cash,_

 _And you can go about your day!_

 _A little bit of change,_

 _A handful of lien,_

 _Cough it on up,_

 _Or we'll start to play again!_

 _Just give us some money,_

 _And I swear we'll go away!_

After repeating the simple verses, Jaune then brought his playing to an end, taking a dramatic bow before hopping down to see how well they had done. "So, did we make enough for you to get the thing for your sister?" he asked Ruby.

"Yup!" The small scythe-wielder fished out some lien chits, counted them out, handed the rest to Jaune, and pulled him into a hug. "Oh, you're the best! Weiss, tell him he's the best."

She smiled at her boyfriend. "Eh," said Weiss with a critical look. "He's okay. I think I'll keep him for now."

"Such high praise. Anyways, go get the thing for Yang. We'll catch up." Jaune tousled Ruby's hair for a second before she zipped away in a cloud of roses. As he finished mecha-shifting his guitar into a compact state and putting it in its case, his girlfriend took his arm and held it tightly.

"It was kind of you to do that to raise money for her," Weiss said. The two began to make their way into the train station proper.

"Ah, it's nothing. Team RNJR would do stuff like that all the time on our way here. There weren't always Grimm to fight in exchange for supplies or a night at the inn, so after we got the guitar, it was a backup way to make money. Besides," Jaune said with a little smirk, "This was a fine demonstration of what we mere mortals call 'having fun.'"

She clicked her tongue. "So, you typically make fools of yourselves for fun?"

Jaune shrugged. "I've done dumber things for worse reasons. I like making my friends happy. Speaking of which…"

The couple found most of their friends seated on a large bench. Yang and Nora were speaking about something involving trying to figure out how to combine their Semblances to hit things really, really hard, while a quietly alarmed Ren looked on, a small box resting on the floor between his feet. Oscar sat off to one side of the bench, still looking and feeling out of place and isolated. Weiss took a seat on the bench, while Jaune leaned against a wall.

"Where's Blake?" asked Weiss.

"She went to bid farewell to her companion," Ren answered quickly, clearly seizing the opportunity to change the subject to something less destructive.

"Do you think they're _together-together?_ " Nora stage-whispered. Weiss had never heard such a loud whisper in her life.

Yang frowned. "That's not really any of our business, is it?"

"Why not? Do you think they're making out? Maybe she pulled him into a broom closet and-"

"Shut up!" Yang's eyes flared red, before she paused, shook her head, and looked away, embarrassed at her outburst. "Why do you care so much anyway?"

Nora opted to ignore Yang's temper flare, and shot a lascivious look Ren's direction. "Weeeelll… it's just that, with Weiss and Jauney being all lovey-dovey, it might get _other_ people to take a _hint_. Wouldn't that be great, _Ren_? If more people took a _hint_ about people close to them being _in looove_ with them, _Ren_?"

Ren blinked, honestly surprised. "Wait, are you talking about us? I thought we were already a couple."

Nora froze. "You… you did?"

"Sure. At least since the fight in Kuroyuri. Really, this whole time, I was just waiting for you to be ready for that sort of relationship. After all, the only one who insisted that we _weren't_ involved was, well, _you._ "

For once, the hyperactive motormouth of Team JNPR had nothing to say. A brittle smile was frozen to her face, her eyes were wide and unblinking, and a slight throb was visible on her forehead.

Nora has crashed. Would you like to send a report?

Jaune was about to ask if she needed to lay down, when a familiar red cloud of rose petals zoomed towards them, materializing into one Ruby Rose. The girl stood before her sister, with her hands behind her back and a positively enormous smile on her face.

Yang gasped and jumped towards her sister, ignoring Nora, who stood unmoving in a state of catatonia. "Did you get me something? What did you get me?"

"Ta-daa!" Ruby produced a large bag of fine chocolates and held them out to her sister.

Yang pulled her sister into one of her patented death hugs. "Oh, you're just the best baby sister ever!"

"Hey!" complained Weiss.

"The best baby sister _ever_ ," Yang reiterated.

Jaune started as he remembered something. "Oh, right, presents. You have the thing, Ren?"

At that, Ren, who had been secretly enjoying the brief moment of relative peacefulness, leaned down and picked up the box that sat on the ground between his feet. "As requested," he said, as he got up and handed it to his teammate.

"You're the best," said Jaune, before turning to Weiss. "I asked Ren and Nora to pick this up for me while we were playing outside."

He handed her the box.

Weiss didn't know what to say. She had received gifts before, of course, but they had either been impersonal items given to her by her parents in exchange for some behavior, or else meaningless things sent to her by fans, would-be suitors, and sycophants looking for an in with the SDC. This was the first time she had received a present from someone who had got it for her for no other reason than to make her happy.

"Ruby told me you play piano," Jaune said, as Weiss carefully unwrapped the box, revealing the compact form of a mecha-shifting electronic keyboard. "I thought that it would be good to get you your own instrument, that you can take with you."

As the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, Weiss had played only the highest-quality heirloom pianos, gloriously crafted implements whose components alone would cost the typical Huntsman five good years' worth of pay. She had played pianos that cost more than the train that they were going to board. As she shifted her new instrument to full size and gave it a few experimental plinks on the keys, Weiss realized that this was a simple, bog-standard keyboard for traveling players. She treasured it more than all the Dust in Atlas.

It was a simple, bog-standard keyboard, but it was also Jaune telling her that he thought about how to make her happy. It was a simple, honest way of telling her that he loved her.

She turned off the keyboard, shifted it to storage mode, and then hugged onto her boyfriend. "Jaune, I love it," she said, looking up at him with shining eyes. "It was very thoughtful."

"I try," he said with a smile.

"Ew, they're gonna do the mushy stuff again!" complained Ruby. She moved away from the couple, then paused before Nora, who still hadn't blinked or moved. "Hey, guys, what happened to Nora?"

"Oh, Ren just told her that he thought they'd been in a relationship this whole time," offered Jaune.

"You mean they _weren't?_ "

"She should be fine before we have to board the train. And if not, then… by the time we reach Atlas?"

Weiss sighed. "I'm really not looking forward to being back in Atlas. You all have no idea how much I went through to _leave_ it in the first place."

"Don't worry, Weiss!" Ruby cheered. "Team RWBY won't leave your side, no matter what!"

Jaune coughed meaningfully.

"Oh, and I'm sure Jaune will try his very best as well," Ruby added lamely.

"Oh wow, Ruby, really?"

"You ladies won't have anything to worry about as long as you're traveling with us," a new voice broke into the conversation. They all looked to see two young men, muscle-bound, swaggering, and not apparently burdened by an overabundance of intellect, approaching their group. One of them smirked at Weiss, who tightened her grip on Jaune.

"Why don't you ditch the kid and hang with a real Huntsman?" he asked. "Hell, you put that one in a dress, and he'd be as pretty as the rest of you."

"Jaune is all the man I need. And I'll have you know that he is perfectly enchanting in a dress," Weiss spat, in her Weiss-iest tone. Jaune resisted the urge to facepalm. She was trying, she really was, and her heart was in the right place. Well, in times such as this, he could either get embarrassed or get snarky, and since he couldn't see how getting embarrassed could help, it was time to get snarky.

"It's all the rage with the ladies these days," he deadpanned, face absolutely straight. "Bare shoulders show off the build in a non-threatening kind of way, and it lets her know you'd do anything for her."

"It's true," Weiss nodded gravely. "He was the talk of the girls for weeks afterwards."

"So you _do_ wear dresses to impress ladies!" called Yang. "Was this before or after she tied you to the bed?"

"Before, of course," Weiss huffed. "What do you think made me want to?" Jaune turned bright red as his girlfriend put her arm around his waist… with her hand slipping _under_ his shirt, resting on his lower abdominals. She realized her mistake immediately, but she couldn't very well pull away and apologize now, could she? Those creeps might get the wrong idea.

Yes, that was the reason she couldn't move her hand away. Selling the bluff. That, and nothing else. Weiss certainly wasn't suddenly appreciative of what a year of hard training, constant exercise, and proper eating had done for Jaune's physique. Nor was her mind racing with possibilities of how the rest of him might feel, bare to her touch.

Lies and slander! Weiss was a proper lady, thank you very much, pure as fresh-fallen snow.

She bit her lower lip. But… what if she weren't?

"My, Jaune is developing so well," she said. "His muscles are so lithe and corded, each one perfectly in balance with the rest." Jaune felt himself start to… react, as she looked at him with a dreamy smile, her voice heavy with open desire. "Feeling is good enough, but the way he _moves,_ so graceful and smooth…"

Jaune tried to tell himself that she was just kidding to get these guys to go away. It was hard to think straight with Weiss's delicate hand running over his torso, and with her saying such things in _that_ tone of voice. It was just an act, right?

Right?

" _WE COULD HAVE BEEN NECKING THIS WHOLE TIME?!"_

Nora has reinitialized.

All eyes snapped to Nora, who, being unsure as to whether she should strangle Lie Ren or try to smother him in kisses, pounced on him and opted to do both at once.

The two Huntsmen looked at each other. "These chicks are freaking nuts," one said. The other nodded in agreement. "Let's get the hell out of here." With that they turned and walked off, no doubt to be obnoxious elsewhere.

"Okay, they're gone, you guys can… you know… stop now," called Ruby, staring at her partner and chewing her bottom lip.

"I know that I _can_ stop, but does that mean I _must_?" Weiss asked, her hand now under the bottom of Jaune's hoodie, exploring the new and exciting territory of his abs. Was that a v-shape she felt? Meanwhile, the part of Jaune's mind that was a teenager was having a grand time, with all sorts of thoughts about what _his_ hands could be doing back. The part that was a responsible team leader and generally stand-up kind of guy recognized that it was time to stop. For now.

"Come on, Weiss, they got the message and left. We're making our friends uncomfortable."

At that, Weiss came back to Remnant, turned bright red, and pulled her hand back as if it'd been scalded. She looked around quickly, but with the exception of her friends, no one else paid the team any mind. "I apologize for my inappropriate behavior," she said, Miss Prim and Proper once more. "I may have been… carried away. Can you forgive me, Jaune?"

"I'll survive," he said gallanty. He was really, _really_ hoping no one paid any attention to him below the waist.

"Eh, these things happen," shrugged Yang.

"Not to me!" Ruby interjected. "Yang, why was Weiss acting this way?"

Yang froze, staring at her sister in wide-eyed disbelief. "Okay, Ruby, I _know_ I've given you the talk. Don't even act like I didn't."

"What talk?"

Yang glared at her sister. "You know, about the birds and the bees? Boys and girls? Or girls and girls, or boys and boys? Together?"

"Oh," Ruby's silver eyes widened in recognition. "I wasn't really paying attention, since it didn't have to do with weapons, or fighting Grimm."

Yang felt her eye twitch.

"Wait," Ruby continued. "Was that the one where you hoped Blake liked you too, because she has a magnificent Bellaboo-" Ruby found herself unable to continue speaking as Yang had snatched her up in a literal iron death grip, her real hand pressing over the smaller girl's mouth.

"Ruby Rose, you shut the _godsdamned_ hell up right now." Yang looked up at her friends, smiling weakly. "You, uh, you forget you heard that, okay?"

Jaune shrugged. "Not really any of my business anyway. Plus, I'm all for team cohesion. Weiss?"

The white-haired girl glanced at the floor before meeting Yang's eyes. "I… may have suspected," she said. Yang nodded as she recalled the private conversation the two had shared in her room in Mistral. "Just remember," Weiss added, "I'm still here for you. Both of you, no matter what happens."

"I'm just as confused as Ruby," admitted Oscar. "Ozpin says that 'discretion is the better part of valor,' which I guess means I should just mind my own business."

"Help me," Ren gasped for breath as Nora finally let up enough to let him gulp sweet, sweet, life-sustaining oxygen. His eyes widened as Nora resumed her siege a moment later.

Yang relaxed. "Thanks guys. You're the best. Except for _you_ ," she said, dropping Ruby to fall to the floor with an ignominious splat. Whatever she was about to say was lost as Qrow arrived with tickets in hand. The adult Huntsman frowned as he saw Nora clinging on to Ren, who was turning a distressing shade of blue.

"Pinkie, get off Ninja Kid, you might actually kill him this time." Nora complied, looking vaguely guilty.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby dashed up to him before Yang could stop her. "Nora and Ren are necking now, and Weiss was acting all weird, touching Jaune and talking about him moving, and Yang was all like, 'I gave you the talk!' but it was boring because she just wanted to talk about girls and their booties all day, so could you explain what's going on?"

Qrow blinked. Slowly, deliberately, he took out his flask and took a long, long pull from it. He then took a single ticket for himself, tossing the rest in a pile onto the bench, and then turned to board the train without a single word.

All aboard the Nope Train, express to Screwthatville.

[/]

The large collection of teenagers and Qrow had their own car on the train, with a designated seating and dining area, small dormitories, and a lavatory. Light from the setting sun cast the interior of the car in a surreal, golden hue. Qrow and Ozpin were in a corner booth, deep in discussion. Ruby was reading one of her comic books, while Yang and Blake were doing… awkward Yang and Blake things by the window. The two partners, with assistance from their teammates, had been working on repairing their relationship, and while they had made progress, every once in a while one of them would say something to set the other one off.

Weiss sighed. At least some relationships were going smoother. Nora had, for once, completely exhausted herself, and was now sleeping soundly with her arms wrapped around Ren, who, in turn, was quietly meditating, and appreciating the joys of an unrestricted airflow. Jaune leaned against Weiss, steadily working his way through a medical textbook that Ozpin had suggested he "liberate" from the Haven Academy library during the confusion, along with books on Huntsman tactics and leadership. They found that keeping him focused on other tasks, as well as keeping him from seeing the movement of the scenery through the window, helped keep his infamous motion sickness under control.

Weiss herself had her new keyboard on her lap, and was idly experimenting with a new melody. She thought about how she felt, here with her friends and teammates, and the contrast between the love and acceptance that she knew here with the cold disdain and guarded manipulation of the Schnee "family" back in Atlas. The feelings of warmth, comfort and joy that her true family had given her as she had nearly passed out from self-inflicted exhaustion welled up within her. Almost of their own accord, her fingers began to play a soft tune, almost wistful in its tone. Weiss's voice was soft and gentle as she found words to give voice to those emotions within her.

 _Hush your cries,  
Close your eyes.  
Stay with me...  
Let's just dream,  
Quietly,  
Of what might be.  
Calm your fear,  
I'll be near,  
To you, I'll cling.  
Rest, my friend.  
Time can mend,  
Many things…_

Jaune had put his book down, and had his eyes closed, softly smiling at the soothing tone of her voice. Across the car, shoulders lowered as the teenagers began to sink into a relaxation. Qrow rolled his eyes. "Do those kids ever stop with the singing?"

Ozpin answered him, a wry grin on Oscar's face. "Surely there are worse hobbies for teenagers to engage in?" Qrow just grunted. At least Blondie over there hadn't tried to move in on Yang, or gods help us all, Ruby. Smart kid.

Over in their corner, Weiss continued to sing.

 _I don't know the answers,  
Tomorrow's still unknown.  
But I can make this promise,  
You won't be alone._

 _I don't know where we should go,  
Just feeling farther from our goal.  
I don't know what path we will be shown.  
But I know that when I'm with you I'm at home.  
Yes, I know that when I'm with you I'm at home.  
_

"Weiss, that's beautiful," Ruby gleamed, eyes glinting in the soft golden light.

 _There's a quiet place,  
In my embrace.  
A haven of safety where  
I'll dry your tears,  
Shelter here,  
In my care..._

 _But even when we stumble,  
And someday when we fall,  
What I will remember  
Is that I had you through it all..._

 _I don't know where we should go,  
Just feeling farther from our goal.  
I don't know what path we will be shown.  
But I know that when I'm with you I'm at home.  
Yes, I know that when I'm with you I'm at home._

With a brief coda from her keyboard, Weiss's song came to an end. Instead of a round of applause, she was met with the simple, sincere smiles of her comrades, and her boyfriend's arm reaching around her shoulders and pulling her close. She reached up and dabbed a tear from her eye before looking up at him.

It was good to be home.

[/]

That evening, Weiss sat at a bed in one of the cabins, her long hair free and loose, and slender shoulders bared. She offered a little smile to the scroll camera that sat across from her before switching it off and packing away her keyboard.

She had found another song in her, but this was one to be shared between her and Jaune alone. Weiss tried to be as optimistic as Ruby, but after the Fall, after Haven, she had meant what she had said about the risks that they all faced. So, she had recorded a message to Jaune, one that she would send if it looked like they would be separated or… should something happen to her.

No regrets.

She had just finished packing her things when a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

Speaking of charming, goofy knights, here was hers, with a cup of tea for her, which she accepted gladly. "Hey, Weiss. Just checking up on everyone. You feeling okay?"

Weiss sipped her tea, some kind of herbal mixture that Jaune had found. She still preferred coffee to tea, but she made an exception for the tea that Jaune drank. Apparently, it was common to his hometown, and she liked how the scent reminded her of him.

"I'm fine, but I thank you for your consideration." Weiss paused for a second, frowning into her tea. "Actually, there is something I would like to discuss with you. Would you mind closing the door?"

He complied, before sitting next to her on the bunk. "What's on your mind?"

She flushed, embarrassed. "This is… going to sound absolutely silly and shallow."

"Weiss, what is it?"

"Do you… do you think I'm beautiful?"

Jaune blinked. "What? Of course I do, you know I do. Anyone would. Why would you even ask that?"

Weiss gazed into the tea, idly stirring it with a single, delicate finger. "I knew this was going to sound dumb. I have… scars. Not just the one on my face, but new ones on my back and stomach. From Haven. I know that I sound like an idiot girl, but..." she trailed off, embarrassed and insecure.

"Those scars mean something," Jaune spoke up.

"Huh?"

"You could have stayed in Atlas, safe and sound and rich beyond any reasonable amount, but becoming a Huntress, fighting to change the world and how it saw your name… that meant something to you. After the Fall, you could have given up on that dream, gone off and resumed a singing career or done anything, really, but finding your team and keeping up the fight, it meant something to you. Those scars mean that you're brave enough to put yourself at risk for the people that matter to you."

She had actually been intending to find Winter at Mistral, not her team, but she didn't have the heart to interrupt him when he was on a roll.

He moved in on her, kissing her gently above the brow, where her facial scar began. "Your scars are beautiful, because _you_ are beautiful. And they remind me to never take you for granted." He kissed the top of her cheek, just under her eye, where the scar ended.

Weiss stood up, putting the teacup on a shelf. She took a deep breath to steady herself and then turned to her boyfriend. "Can I… can I show you them?"

His breath caught, before he steadied himself. If she needed this, than he needed to be there for her. Meeting her gaze, he nodded.

Her dress hit the floor.

She stood bare to him. The scar on her abdomen had faded from an angry red into more of a brownish-pink color, albeit one that still stood out from the pale tone of her natural skin. There were some jagged lines radiating from the center, but really, it could have been much worse.

At least she was still here to complain about it.

Weiss gasped as he gently pulled her close by the hips and planted a soft kiss on the scar. Her hands trembled as her fingers ran through his hair, eyes closed. She whimpered a little as he let go and pulled back, looking into her eyes from where he was seated.

She bit her lower lip as her hands slid down to work at the buckles of his armor. Suddenly, Jaune took one of her hands in his, gently but still firmly.

" _Weiss,_ " he said, his voice heavy. "Are you absolutely sure that this is what you want?"

Did she trust him with this?

She found that she did.

Weiss answered him with a kiss, and a shove that sent him on his back on the bed. "What about you, Sir Jaune? Is this what you want?"

His enormous, wild grin was all the answer she needed, and she found herself practically flowing up to him to capture this lips in another kiss.

No regrets.

[/]

Weiss tried not to grumble as they trudged through the snow on foot. One would think that a Schnee was above _trudging_ , but low and behold, there she was, hiking through the forest after all hell had broken loose on the train this morning. That her heels made trudging through the snow even more of a chore than it was for others galled her even more. The Grimm had attacked the Argus Limited in force, the two useless morons from yesterday were apparently useless Huntsmen morons that had made everything worse, her boyfriend and his team were now separated from the rest to protect the civilians, they had picked up a nice old lady to hang out with them on a lovely jaunt through a blizzard, _there was a blizzard,_ the reincarnated spirit of her Headmaster was apparently a magician whose evil ex may or may not have provoked an unadulterated genocide, and their bloody shadow war against the forces of darkness and evil had now been upgraded into what appeared to be a literally _impossible_ bloody shadow war against the forces of darkness and evil.

This, for lack of any better term despite the extensive diction at Weiss's disposal, sucked.

Ozpin-or Ozma, she supposed-sucked. His stupid murderous Grimm lover sucked. Poor Oscar tried his very hardest not to suck, but there was no way to banish Ozma from him, so he sucked against his will. The gods sucked. Atlas sucked. The stupid snow sucked. Oh look, a farmhouse. What were the odds that the farm would suck too?

An investigation revealed that, yes, the farm did indeed suck.

Weiss wasn't sulking by a window, she was _brooding_ , of which there was a world of difference. She did take a brief moment to feel vindicated that she'd thought to record the video for Jaune yesterday, and had been able to send it to his scroll before the train moved out of range. Weiss had known, just _known_ that something like this would happen. Mind you, she didn't think it would have happened the very next day, but such was the life of a Huntress.

She allowed herself a small smile as she remembered what else had happened yesterday. Despite some awkward fumbling at first, that had definitely _not_ sucked. She made a mental note to thank Yang for providing her the proper equipment to enjoy herself safely, as well as instruction in the use of prophylactic technology. Weiss recalled the way her boyfriend had looked at her, with a mixture of hunger, wonder, and reverence that was, to be frank, her due. If he was going to insist in calling her an angel, he may as well treat her as such.

It had been a _very_ good night.

But alas, that was last night. This night, she needed to wipe the giddy smile from her face and focus on the mission. She just hoped that Jaune was doing well. There was one thing she could do, though. She could spare a moment for this. Weiss retrieved her keyboard from her pack, and began to play the song she'd recorded for him last night.

She would play it every evening until her knight was in her hands again, where he belonged.

[/]

Jaune tried not to grumble as he led his team through the coastal town of Argus. Last night had been nothing short of _spectacular,_ or at least it was after some initial awkwardness. In a weird sort of way, today had balanced out that greatness. The Grimm had attacked the train, which sucked, the two Huntsmen set to guard it were worse than useless, which sucked, one of them had been snatched up and presumably eaten, which Jaune, who knew well the pain of losing a partner, thought _really_ sucked, and Team RWBY, Oscar, and Qrow had been forced to stay behind while his team protected the civilians.

Not being able to simply look over and _see_ that Weiss was okay sucked most of all. He had to trust in his girlfriend's ability, and those of her teammates, to see her safely through the wilds. Before they had separated, Jaune had made Ruby promise to keep them all safe and to meet them in Argus.

And Jaune trusted Ruby to keep her word.

Things began to look up as he turned onto the street his scroll was directing him towards. There, in front of a small but comfortable house, stood one of his big sisters, Saffron, her wife, Terra, and his nephew Adrian. It was a joyous reunion with his big sister and her family. Saffron couldn't believe how far "little Jauney" had come since she'd seen him last.

As the group sat down a dining room table, Jaune's teammates told them all about his adventures with teams JNPR and RNJR, within reason. Saffron, in turn, told them all about what an unbelievable dork he was growing up, none of which came as a surprise to anyone.

"It's not that I want to say anything bad about him," Saffron began. "But when I saw him last he was… um…"

"Underwhelming?" offered Ren.

"Hopeless?" Nora piped in.

"I'm sitting right here!"

"Callow," Saffron decided. "He was still a silly boy. But I can't believe how much you've grown. Mom and Dad are going to be so proud."

"Weiss certainly warmed up to him," Nora practically sang. Jaune looked at her, appalled. Didn't she know what she was sentencing him to with that?

His sister fixed him with the predatory smirk that was the trademark of all elder siblings. "So…" she began, "Tell me about this Weiss person."

Ren spoke up this time. "His girlfriend." Jaune's gaze snapped to his so-called "brother." Did the bro code account for so little in this day and age? Was nothing sacred in this fallen world?

"His Snow Angel," Nora giggled, setting up a devastating tag team maneuver.

"His Ice Queen."

"Little Edelweiss."

"Don't forget Snow Pea."

"I wish we could forget Snow Pea."

Jaune could have shattered. If they could find some way to harness such complete and utter betrayal and weaponize it against Salem, they'd have this war won in a day. As it was, all he could do was fix his mutinous supposed "friends" with the flattest gaze that he could muster.

"They will never find your bodies," he promised. "There will come a day of such calamity that you will beg, _beg_ for me to grant you the sweet, merciful release of death, and on that day, I shall look down from on high and whisper 'no.'"

Nora shrugged, clearly unimpressed. "That's the kind of thing Weiss would say when you tease her," she explained to Jaune's sister. "I guess she's rubbing off on him."

"Oh, _is she now?_ "

Jaune concluded that if the ground would see fit to split open and swallow him whole, that would be okay by him.

"Yup! Here, look!"

What?!

His horror was complete as Nora pulled out her scroll and opened up a video file, holding the device up for his sister to see. Weiss's voice came from the scroll speaker, slightly tinny but still unmistakably hers. Someone had recorded this? Some gave _Nora_ this?!

 _You're in love with me… why?_

His own voice responded to her question.

 _When I see you… sometimes so can't believe you're real, here, now and with us. You aren't just beautiful but ethereal..._

It didn't help that his sister and sister-in-law were both watching it like it was some new romantic comedy at the movie theater, ooh-ing, ah-ing, and gasping at various parts of the drama.

… _if I have to tie you to my bed to do it!_

Both of the older women went nuts at that, and began openly applauding as, on the recording, Weiss shoved Jaune into her room and slammed the door behind them.

"So, she seems feisty," Saffron teased. "I have to say, leaving her wanting more was a good play. Get her to commit to the first move."

"I was completely sincere about the reasons for my reluctance," said Jaune from between his fingers, his hands having flown to his face in mortification."I had saved her life recently, and I was worried that her feelings might not last beyond the euphoria of her survival."

His sister paused. "You saved her life? Did you swoop in like some kind of knight in shining armor and sweep her off her feet?"

"Nah, that was the second day of school, when he jumped out of a tree to catch her after a Nevermore dropped her," Nora continued to contribute.

Saffron was genuinely stunned. "You've had quite the experience, haven't you?" She turned to Nora. "Nora, sweetheart, would you be so kind as to send me those video files?"

"Sure thing, big sister Arc!"

"Oh, you are just delightful!"

Well, the day officially sucked again, moreso than ever. Knowing his sister, she was practically planning out his wedding already, and Ren and Nora stood ready to spill all the beans about their Fearless Leader. Mom and Dad, and all the rest of his many, _many_ sisters were going to flip.

[/]

That night, Jaune set his armor aside and quietly slipped out of his sister's living room. As long as scroll videos were the order of the day, he might as well watch the message Weiss had sent to him. He figured that leaving the armor behind would make him sneaky enough to watch a video with some privacy for a change.

He sat at the edge of the back porch, and turned the message on. Just one day away, and his heart was already catching as he saw her again. This was recorded the previous night, as she had her shoulders bare and her hair loose down her back.

 _Hello, Jaune. If you're watching this, then something has happened to separate us, either for a short time or… more permanently._

Her eyes narrowed at the camera.

 _I know you, Jaune, and if I am hurt, or worse, then you have it from my own mouth that you are not to torture yourself with this video. I want your memories to bring you happiness, not more pain. I know that Ren and Nora are watching you watch this, so to them, I would like to say that, if Jaune starts acting moody and goes on suicidal death charges again, you have my permission to tickle and/or punch him until he stops._

Jaune snorted. Okay, so they might have caught him with Pyrrha's video, but he was being _really_ careful this time so-

"Sure thing, scroll-Weiss!"

"Nora!"

Aw, come on!

What made it worse was that Weiss had anticipated this very thing, and had paused for long enough for that exchange to take place. She even giggled on the recording, somehow knowing that this was the most likely course of events.

 _I told you that you aren't nearly as sneaky as you think you are. Leave that to Ren and Blake, and stick to being my bold, handsome knight. This next part is between Jaune and I, so would you two care to grant us some privacy?_

"Okay, scroll-Weiss!" came from an upper story window, followed by a sigh.

 _I'm glad that they're there for you, Jaune. No matter how it must feel sometimes, you're never alone. You mean so much to us, to all of us. More so to me, though; I've laid claim on you, Sir Jaune. I… I want you to know that I love you, Jaune. I know that it probably seems too early, and perhaps it is, but… my life is my own. My heart is my own. And I'll share it with whomever I see fit, however I see fit to do so._

On the recording, she expanded her keyboard.

 _Thank you again for this wonderful gift, by the way. With all of the emotions I've been experiencing, music has been a way to express them, and communicate them to the people I love. That's what brought us together, isn't it? The lullaby, the heartbroken song in the courtyard, the battle hymn… music is the shared language between us, Jaune. So, I have one song in particular to share with you on this occasion._

She began to play the keyboard, and opened her mouth to sing.

 _Remember me.  
Though I have to say goodbye,  
Remember me.  
Don't let it make you cry!  
For even if I'm far away, I hold you in my heart.  
I sing a secret song to you each night we are apart.  
Remember me,  
Though I have to travel far,  
Remember me.  
Each time you play your sad guitar,  
Know that I'm with you the only way that I can be...  
Until you're in my arms again,  
Remember me…_

It was a simple little song, but it said everything that needed to be said. The recording Weiss offered a small smile to the camera.

 _I know that, one way or another, we'll be together again Jaune. I love you._

The recording ended, and Jaune let out a breath. He put the scroll away and looked up to the starry night, wondering how she was, what she was doing. He started as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Jaune, she's wonderful." Saffron offered him an apologetic smile. "She seems so sweet. I can see why you fell for her."

"Yeah," croaked Jaune through the lump that had mysteriously manifested in his throat.

Saffron hugged her little brother. "I'm sure that she's okay. She's a badass Huntress right?"

"The baddest. I just wish I was there with her."

"Everything is going to be okay, Jaune."

Jaune studied the ground, clearly unconvinced.

His sister suddenly clapped her hands together. "I just can't wait to meet her! I'll make sure to pass on Mom's stew recipe to her, gotta make sure you're eating right. Oh, and don't forget to take plenty of pictures when you can swing a real date-Mom and Dad are just going to love her to bits! When do you think you can swing by their place…"

Jaune listened to his sister babble happily, grateful for the warmth and the thought of home. It was nice not to feel so alone, even for just a moment.

[/]

A few days later, Team RWBY, Qrow and Oscar limped their busted-down transport into Argus. Weiss was nine-hundred thousand percent _done_ with all of this. Hordes of killer zombie snoozy Grimm. Qrow being a useless drunk. Ruby continuing to shoot lasers out of her eyes. Ruby _dropping_ the Relic of Knowledge down a well, and Ms. Calavera jumping down to fetch it, and it was _still cold outside._ Weiss had had it. She needed to find Jaune, take a hot bath, get a nap, and have a hot mug of delicious, life-sustaining coffee. Not necessarily in that order.

As they approached the train station where the Argus Limited had pulled in days ago, she scanned the crowd. Her eyes caught the glint of white steel and Mistrali Bronze reflecting the sunlight.

There he was! Jaune was there, scanning the crowd, no doubt looking for Team RWBY. Ren and Nora were a few feet away from him, with Nora speaking excitedly to some random blonde woman, her arms gesticulating wildly. But most importantly, Jaune!

Jaune heard a familiar clacking sound and turned towards it, just in time to catch a high-speed ballistic Weissicle to the chest. He spun as he caught her, the much shorter girl's feet having left the street in their entirety.

She pressed her lips into his, leaning back as he set her onto the ground, her right foot popping up behind her for balance. All her complaints about the last few days evaporated in the face of being able to see, hear, and feel her boyfriend before her.

"Hi," she simply said.

 _I love you,_ she meant.

"Hi, yourself," Jaune countered with a roguishly crooked smile.

 _I love you too,_ he meant.

 _Welcome home._

[/]

 **CHAPTER ENDNOTES: And that's a wrap on chapter three.** **Was it too soon for Weiss and Jaune to move to that level? Maybe, but that isn't to say that it's necessarily unrealistic; Volume 6, they're somewhere in the ballpark of 18-19 years old, with the impulsiveness of teenagers added to the notions of adults. They've known each other for years at this point, and in the context of this fanfic, Jaune's been head over heels for her this whole time. For her part, Weiss has always been an emotional girl, one who puts up a stoic front. Her sister is the same way, come to think of it.**

 **Besides, I had fun flipping the White Knight script around and having a thirsty, thirsty Weiss convincing a (slightly) reluctant Jaune to throw caution to the wind and just go for it. Hey, girls are allowed to get amorous too!**

 **Now, just because Weiss thinks that it's okay, that doesn't mean her protective older sister is going to feel the same way. Oh, and guess where we're going next chapter? Jaune had better have packed his running shoes.**

 **I also had fun playing with the other ships. Renora is the most canon thing that has ever happened, and the question with all of Blake's potential ships remains "But what does Blake feel?" Good times.**

 **I figure I'll post two more chapters to "Serenade," wrap it up at a neat five. Part of the reason this chapter took so long to come out is that I was halfway through an extensive tavern concert scene for this chapter, complete with Irish drinking songs, Billy Joel, and Ren on drums before I came to the conclusion of "eh." If there's enough interest, I might post it as a deleted chapter or something.**

 **The bit where Jaune deliberately played awfully and joking "extorted" the audience to pay him to stop was inspired by a friend of mine, who said that if he couldn't play well, he could at least play funny. Songs for this chapter were a brief cameo by John Denver's "Country Roads," an allusion to Paul Thorn's "It's a Great Day For Me To Whoop Somebody's Ass," "Remember Me," from Disney's** _ **Coco**_ **, and "Home" from RWBY Volume 4 OST. It's a silly fanfiction about magical stab-happy teenagers falling in love while on a quest to save the world, what were you expecting, "Freebird?"**

 **Thank you all for reading!**

 **Love,**

 **Mahina**


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